Am I being too paranoid?

[salsah]

I was not too worried about the swine flu until today when I read that there are some "probable" cases in my area and some schools closed. Now i'm freaking out. I realize that I am being paranoid (ideally, I don't want to leave my house until this passes) but I would rather be safe than sorry.
Is it too much for me to cancel our plans to attend a children's spring fair this weekend? I think that it is a good idea to avoid crowds, especially ones with lots of children since children aren't as good about washing hands.
Should DD stay home from school? The thought crossed my mind but I think that maybe that is going too far. My parents, of course, think that she should stay home. It is only preschool. They are pressuring me to keep her home and are even suggesting that I avoid crowded stores like costco. (now you know where I get my paranoia from.)

and to make things worse, i've been sick. i have a sore throat, congestion, yesterday my stomach was "off" in a way that I don't recall ever feeling before, today I feel feverish but when I checked my temp, it was normal, and I have no energy. i'm going to check my temp again while i wait for some one to respond and reassure my that i am in fact being overly paranoid.

[salsah]

well, my thermometer must be broken because it says that my temp is normal. again.

[newmomto1]

I was not too worried about the swine flu until today when I read that there are some "probable" cases in my area and some schools closed. Now i'm freaking out. I realize that I am being paranoid (ideally, I don't want to leave my house until this passes) but I would rather be safe than sorry.
Is it too much for me to cancel our plans to attend a children's spring fair this weekend? I think that it is a good idea to avoid crowds, especially ones with lots of children since children aren't as good about washing hands.
Should DD stay home from school? The thought crossed my mind but I think that maybe that is going too far. My parents, of course, think that she should stay home. It is only preschool. They are pressuring me to keep her home and are even suggesting that I avoid crowded stores like costco. (now you know where I get my paranoia from.)

and to make things worse, i've been sick. i have a sore throat, congestion, yesterday my stomach was "off" in a way that I don't recall ever feeling before, today I feel feverish but when I checked my temp, it was normal, and I have no energy. i'm going to check my temp again while i wait for some one to respond and reassure my that i am in fact being overly paranoid.

Personally...I don't think you're being paranoid at all!
But, a lot of people think I am paranoid...so maybe I am not the one to ask.
I have already ordered a box of masks for my family (and the bug is not in my area yet).
Re: your health..if I were you I'd call your doc in the morning & try to get some Tamiflu just to be on the safe side. JMO!
I think if it comes to our area I would DEFINITELY consider keeping the kids home.
DH & I have discussed this already....that maybe (since he HAS to leave to go to work)...that we'd all stay home & he'd be the only one to leave to run errands, shop etc.
I hope it doesn't come to that b/c I cannot imagine being cooped up in this house with the kids for more than a couple days!

[kijip]

I got a recorded call from my school district saying that a child who may or may not have been infected was an enrolled student at a school across town and that this student did not attend school at the time they would not have been contagious with this infection that they may or may not have had. Clear as mud. Yeesh. I am not taking the risk lightly but I am not all that worried about it either. T had a fever and the first thought that leaped to my dad's mind was swine flu. No dad, how about just a fever.

I feel badly for those that have died due to this. I hope that it does not get worse.

[TwinFoxes]

Honestly, I think you're being paranoid, but so what? What harm does it do if you want to stay home and avoid crowds? I think as long as you're not scaring the kids, if you feel better staying home and keeping the kids out of pre-school for a few days why not? As long as it's not a slippery slope to agoraphobia, I think you should do what you think is best.

[daisyd]

I'd be concerned too. There are a few cases in the city DH works and we are following common precautions.

[salsah]

well, i sent dd to school today. dh is the exact opposite of me and perhaps too laid back when it comes to safety in general. so he thinks that i am being silly and that she should just go to school. i am taking all the usual precautions and i will try to avoid major crowds (spring fair looks like it will be rained out anyway) but w/in reason. (so i will be going to costco tomorrow.)

i'm usually careful about what i say to dd and how i say it. so i just told her that there is bad flu going around and she needs to wash her hands more often. her school is really good about that kind of thing so i am not too worried about her there. they also sent us letter about it with suggested precautions to take and tips to reduce the spread of germs so i am trusting that they will encourage the kids to the same while they are at school.

although i'm sure that i am fine, i just have a cold, not the flu, i will call the advice nurse today just to (hopefully) get an official confirmation that I don't need to worry.

trying to stay calm . . .